WW I honour: UK diplomat to visit Ludhiana village

LUDHIANA: Mehma Singh Wala village in Pakhowal tehsil is going to be bestowed upon an honour for a contribution it made more than 100 years ago. British deputy high commissioner Andrew Ayre will be visiting Mehma Singh Wala on Thursday morning to unveil a plaque in the memory of 70 soldiers from the village who fought Word War I for the British Empire.
Of the 70 soldiers, five had laid down their lives in the line of duty.
UK-based NRI Jaswant Singh Grewal, who owns a business in London, reached the village about a month ago to start preparations for the event. “I especially came back home for this,” he said.
He said the memorial plaque had been installed in the village’s gurdwara. Once Ayre would unveil it, presentations and speeches will follow at the hall of the gurdwara.
The NRI said the British deputy high commissioner would then visit the local stadium for signing the visitor’s book and to interact with locals. He said they had got a portrait of the diplomat painted in London and would be presenting it to him during the function.
Jaswant Singh Grewal, who is among the organisers of the function, said the event was an act of remembering the village’s contribution to World War I. “I feel proud of being from a village which produced brave people who fought valiantly for the British Empire,” he said.
Village sarpanch Sikander Singh, whose great grandfather Ujagar Singh, fought for the British Army during the World War I in Burma, said his village was among villages which sent many of its young men to fight in the great war. “We are proud of the valor of our ancestors,” he said.
The sarpanch said they were also organizing a path of Sukhmani Sahib at the gurdwara. “This year, the annual football tournament which we organize will be dedicated to our great warriors,” he added. “Apart from the 70 soldiers who fought the first great war, many more men from our village have fought for the country,” he said.
A villager, Surjeet Singh, said descendants of most soldiers had now immigrated abroad. “Still, we have decked the village up and will be standing together to receive the British deputy high commissioner with open arms,” he added.